12 Easy Halloween Carnival Games for Kids

Halloween carnival games are easy to set up for a school carnival, fall festival, trunk-or-treat, or neighborhood Halloween party.

You don’t need elaborate booths or expensive equipment.

Most of these games use pumpkins, plastic cups, cardboard boxes, and inexpensive Halloween decorations.

Choose a handful that fit your space, place a volunteer at each station, and let the kids move from game to game!

1. Pin the Spider on the Web

Draw or tape a large spider web onto poster board, then make a small paper spider for each player.

Blindfold one child at a time, gently spin them around, and let them try to place their spider in the center of the web. Write each player’s name on their spider so you can see who came closest.

2. Witch Hat Ring Toss

Place two or three witch hats on the ground and give each player several rings to toss.

Glow-stick bracelets work well as rings, especially if your Halloween carnival is held after dark. Move younger children closer to the hats and give older kids a longer throwing line.

3. Pumpkin Bowling

Arrange six plastic bottles or decorated cups like bowling pins. Use a small, round pumpkin as the bowling ball.

The uneven pumpkin makes every roll a little unpredictable, which is part of the fun. Give each player two chances to knock down as many pins as possible.

4. Feed the Monster

Draw a silly monster on the front of a large cardboard box and cut an opening for its mouth.

Players stand behind a line and toss beanbags, soft balls or crumpled paper “treats” into the monster’s mouth. Make several openings with different point values if you want to turn it into a scoring game.

5. Spooky Spider Drop

Place a small plastic cauldron or jar on the ground and give each player five plastic spiders.

Players hold the spiders at waist or shoulder height and try to drop them into the container. Use a larger cauldron for preschoolers or a narrow jar for older kids who need more of a challenge.

6. Ghost Cup Knockdown

Draw ghost faces on white plastic cups, then stack them into a pyramid.

Give each player three beanbags or soft balls and let them try to knock down the entire ghost tower. The cups are quick to reset, making this an easy Halloween carnival booth for a steady line of kids.

7. Pumpkin Patch Fishing

Cut pumpkin shapes from orange cardstock and attach a paper clip to each one. Write a prize, point value or silly Halloween action on the back.

Make a fishing pole from a wooden dowel, string and magnet, then spread the pumpkins across the floor or inside a shallow container. Each child gets to catch one pumpkin and discover what is written underneath.

8. Eyeball Spoon Race

Place a plastic eyeball or decorated ping-pong ball on a spoon and create a short racecourse.

Players must reach the finish line without dropping the eyeball. For a carnival booth, time each child individually or let two players race side by side.

9. Mystery Touch Boxes

Cut hand-sized openings into several cardboard boxes and place a different mystery item inside each one.

Try peeled grapes for eyeballs, cooked spaghetti for worms, cotton balls for ghost fur or pipe cleaners for spider legs. Players reach inside without looking and guess what they are touching.

Keep the food items sealed inside plastic bags if you want an easier, less messy version.

10. Pumpkin Putt

Turn a cardboard box into a pumpkin by painting it orange and cutting a wide mouth near the bottom.

Give each player three chances to putt a golf ball through the pumpkin’s mouth. You can also create two or three pumpkins with different-sized openings and assign more points to the harder targets.

11. Candy Corn Toss

Paint a cardboard corn-hole board with large candy corn stripes or decorate buckets in white, orange and yellow.

Players toss beanbags toward the opening or into the buckets. Place each bucket at a different distance and award points based on where the beanbag lands.

12. Halloween Treat Walk

Place numbered pumpkin, ghost or monster shapes in a circle on the ground. Play Halloween music while everyone walks around the circle.

When the music stops, each player stands on a number. Draw one matching number from a bowl and give that player a small treat or prize.

You can continue for several rounds or let every child eventually win something.

Tips for Setting Up Your Halloween Carnival

A good carnival doesn’t need dozens of activities. Five or six easy Halloween carnival games are usually plenty, especially if you also have food, music, costumes or a trunk-or-treat area.

Use simple signs with the rules at each booth, adjust throwing lines for different ages and keep extra supplies nearby. Small prizes such as stickers, pencils, temporary tattoos and glow sticks work well, but you can also give every child one ticket for participating and let them choose a prize at the end.

Most importantly, choose games that are quick to explain and easy to reset. That keeps the lines moving and makes the event much easier for your volunteers to manage.